How HOW is a better word than WHY

Rather than ask “WHY is a job being done”; ask “HOW is a job being done” and see what kind of results you get.
–Colin Nottage

 In today’s episode, Colin puts it to you that repeatedly asking is not always the best solution. He even likens it to how toddlers berate their parents, and you can imagine the outcome of that scenario not achieving a helpful or informative response! Colin has been trying to flip it around and, instead, asking 'How?' in place of 'Why?' 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• For years colin has been a taught and practiced the 5 ‘whys’.  But what is the 5 ‘Whys’?
  
  5 Whys is an iterative interrogative technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem. The primary goal of the technique is to determine the root cause of a defect or problem by repeating the question "Why?". Each answer forms the basis of the next question. The end goal is to define a root cause analysis of an event, problem or outcome.

 

• At its base, asking ‘How’ in place of ‘Why’ is less confrontational. Why is perhaps too focused. How gives a bigger picture.

  

• ‘Why’ is pointing finger, assigning blame and accusatory.

• ‘How’ is letting them express and explain. It opens the discussion with less guilt as they are no longer defending themselves, rather they are openly responding and without the assumption of blame or guilt.

Colin hopes this will start to get you thinking more about the processes and the way the business is working; Finding out route causes but not the individual roots but the company and system based roots. 

Why often takes you to the shortcut… Theyre called shortcuts as they bring efficiency to the business

If you ask how the job was done, what you're starting to do is get deep, deep into the ethos of the job and its completion.

 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

 The Interesting Health & Safety Podcast

 

ABOUT THE HOST
Colin’s Biography 

‘Making health and safety as important as everything else we do.’

This is the belief that Colin is passionate about and through his consultancy Influential

Management Group (IMG) is able to spread into the industry.

Colin works at a strategic level with company owners and board members. He helps business leaders establish and achieve their health and safety ambitions.

He has developed a number of leading competency improvement programmes

That are delivered across industry and his strengths are his ability to take a practical approach to problem solving and being able to liaise at all levels within an organisation.

Colin also runs a company that vets contractors online and a network that develops and support H&S consultancies to become better businesses. Colin chairs the Construction Dust Partnership, an industry collaboration directly involving many organisations, including the Health and Safety Executive.

He is a Post Graduate Tutor at Strathclyde University and a highly sought-after health and safety speaker and trainer.

He has a Post Graduate Certificate in Safety and Risk management, an engineering degree and is a Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).